A Fortunate Accident
by karjens44
Summary: Distracted doctoral student Elsie Hughes makes the mistake of crossing the street without looking, right in front of Dr. Maeve Millay's luxury car and during her recovery, finds more than she'd ever dreamed of. This is F/F Maeve andElsie all the way. If you don't care for this, than you may wish to find something else.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is a new one for me. I had a lovely reader request a Maeve X Elsie AU story. I admit it was a bit of a challenge as I haven't seen enough of Westworld to really grasp Maeve yet. She's an enigma, which in itself is kind of sexy. Anyway, to the requester: I know it's not exactly what you wanted, but I hope you enjoy it! And thank you for the awesome challenge.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything about this show including the characters. Just the plot is my own. For entertainment (hopefully) only. Also, I am not a doctor. I did do some research on broken legs etc, but it's highly likely that I got the medical facts incorrect. Lastly this is self-beta'd. Please forgive any errors. (If there's something horribly glaring, please let me know and I'll be happy to correct and report. *will be cross posted on Archive of Our Own)**

"Fuck, I'm late," Elsie muttered, shifting the heavy backpack on her shoulder as she ran across campus. Her one morning class had run longer than she'd expected and now she only had thirty minutes to make the forty-minute drive to her job at Delos across town.

If she hadn't been so busy cursing the guy who felt the need to wait until the end of class to ask every question he'd ever had, she would have known better than to run across the street without looking. Unfortunately, it wasn't until she heard the squeal of a car's breaks that she realized her mistake and by then all she could do was brace for impact.

Maeve's heart stopped in her chest as she saw the girl dart in front of her car. She slammed on the brakes but she knew there was no way to avoid her and the sickening thud would stay with her for months.

"Bloody hell," Maeve choked out as she put the car in park and ran around the front to see the girl laying in the road, her leg twisted in an incredibly unnatural angle.

"Miss?" She knelt beside the injured woman, relieved that she was conscious enough to be crying in pain. This was one of those times she was grateful that she'd chosen to become a surgeon.

"Could one of you please stop recording and use your phone to call an ambulance?" she snapped at the mob just standing around cellphones out to capture the morbid sight. Used to being obeyed without question, Maeve turned her eyes back to the young woman on the ground. There wasn't much she could do from where she was but at first glance it was clear the leg was broken in at least two places. Maeve's main concern was whether there was any internal damage.

"Miss? Are you hurt anywhere other than your leg?" she asked, noting there was no sign of blood from her nose or mouth.

"Isn't that enough?" Elsie managed, between moans of agony.

Maeve was pretty sure she shouldn't have been amused by that, but she couldn't help but find it a good sign the woman still had a bit of spirit.

"What's your name?" Maeve asked, hoping to focus the woman's mind and keep her awake.

"Elsie. Elsie Hughes. Who the hell are you?" Elsie managed, wishing she would hurry up and pass out already.

"Maeve Millay. I'm a doctor and…" she stopped when she heard the sound of sirens.

"Just hang on," she said gently. When the paramedics arrived with the gurney, she stepped aside, identified herself as a doctor and asked which hospital they were taking her to. Before she could follow, she was stopped by the police and quickly answered all of their questions, anxious to check on the girl she'd hit.

Finally, she was released to go and she made her way to the nearest hospital. When the admittance nurse refused to give her information, Maeve simply showed her identification and told them she was Elsie Hughes doctor.

The nurse reluctantly said she had been taken into surgery and Maeve could sit in the waiting area and it would be up to the doctor to decide if she would release information.

Maeve Millay was not a woman used to being told no, but she knew the laws as well as anyone and she suspected this woman was used to being stepped on by doctors, particularly male ones, so she let it be.

Having seen the girl's injuries, she suspected they would be with her for a while so she went to get some coffee and call her own hospital, to say she wouldn't be in and explained the situation and then she waited.

"You don't have to do this, you know," Elsie said as the woman who'd run her over. stopped the fancy, if now somewhat dented, BMW in front of a house bigger than her apartment building.

"I know," Maeve stated simply.

Elsie blinked, momentarily distracted again by the throaty British voice. This woman made her nervous in about five hundred different ways.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is, I'd rather you didn't do this."

Maeve, just smiled and stepped out of the car, going back to pull the wheelchair out of the trunk and set it beside the passenger door. The stubborn girl was still sitting there, seatbelt fastened and the door closed. She opened the door.

"Well that's too bad, I'm afraid. You already told me that you had no family here and you have a badly broken leg and bruised ribs which make your getting to your third-floor apartment extremely challenging.

"It wouldn't be, if you hadn't run me over," Elsie said, irritably.

"And I wouldn't have run you over, had you looked before dashing into the middle of a busy intersection," Maeve returned pleasantly. "Would you care to continue?" She almost laughed at the pout on the pretty face.

Sighing heavily, Elsie shifted to get out of the seat and hissed as a shock of pain went through her chest.

"Careful, darling," Maeve said quickly, moving to gently help the girl out of the car, wondering why she hadn't put the girl in the backseat.

Elsie bit her lip to hold back a whimper of pain as she managed to slide into the wheelchair. She didn't know this woman, but something about her had Elsie needing to appear stronger than she was.

Maeve could see the pain clearly on Elsie's face and she admitted she was impressed by the woman's fortitude, even if she thought it rather foolish and unnecessary. Still, she didn't say anything as she pushed Elsie toward the front door.

It was only as she entered the foyer and looked at the large staircase that she realized she had no way of getting the wheel chair up the stairs into a guest room.

"Not as easy as you thought, is it?" Elsie mocked, noticing the confused look on the beautiful face.

Maeve looked at her unwilling guest, surprised to see a sincere smile on her face, and for a second she was diverted by just how pretty the young woman was beneath her scratches. And stubborn.

"You are a cheeky little thing," she mused. "And actually, it is. The master bedroom is downstairs with a full shower and bath, so you will be staying there."

"What?" Elsie choked, the smile wiped from her face.

Maeve chuckled. "Alone, darling. I don't take advantage of injured women."

Part of Elsie whispered ' _that's too bad',_ but she forced herself to ignore that part and blamed her medication.

"I'll go change the sheets and then we'll get you sorted."

"I don't have anything to sort," Elsie retorted.

Maeve frowned. She should have stopped by Elsie's apartment to pack her a bag, but for the first time, her almost compulsive tendency to plan for everything, had failed her.

"I've got a something you can wear tonight and then tomorrow I'll send Teddy or Dolores to go pack some things for you."

"Who the hell are Teddy and Dolores?" Elsie asked, in too much pain and discomfort to be polite.

"They work for me."

"Figures,' Elsie muttered. "I can go get my own stuff."

"Really? And just how would you get across town, given that there's no bus service out here."

"Cab," Elsie smirked.

"True. However, how do you plan on making it up three flights of stairs and then down, carrying luggage?"

Elsie opened her mouth, then shut it as she struggled to find a response. "I just wouldn't come back down," she finally said, trying not to imagine how extremely painful it would be dragging her leg up those stairs while dealing with injured ribs.

"Hm. Is staying here really so abhorrent to you?" She asked curiously, studying the young woman who grew more fascinating by the moment.

Elsie suddenly felt a bit guilty. "I'd be a liar if I said yes," she admitted, looking around the massive, beautiful house, before turning back to the strange woman watching her as if she was some weird experiment. Considering what Elsie did for a living, she found that last thought rather amusing.

"Look Dr. Millay…"

"Maeve."

"Maeve. I appreciate what you're doing for me, but I don't know why. As you said, this," she gestured at her leg," wasn't your fault, it was mine."

"You aren't used to people taking care of you," Maeve stated, understanding this woman a little more.

"No."

"I understand that. I've been taking care of myself for most of my life as well," Maeve acknowledged. "However, and I admit, I'm not entirely certain of my motivation either, I intend to take care of you at least until you're able to move to crutches."

Elsie wasn't sure what she was feeling, but fear was part of it. It wasn't fear of being physically harmed by this woman, but more a fear of what this woman would do to the walls Elsie had built so long ago.

"You're pretty bossy," was all Elsie said, refusing to show any weakness at all to this stranger, no matter how much her beautiful smile made her heart jump.

"One has to be, in my profession," Maeve grinned. "So, if there are no more objections, why don't I show you to your room and then the rest of the house that you'll be able to get to?"

"Lead the way, your majesty," Elsie quipped, though she smiled to show she wasn't just being an ass.

"This looks lovely, Carolyn," Maeve commented as she sat at the dinner table. "Why don't you go ahead and take the rest of the night off."

"But the dishes…"

"That's quite alright, I'm sure I can manage to work the dishwasher," Maeve smiled

"Alright then Dr. Millay, thank you. I'll be back in the morning." Carolyn returned the smile and said goodnight to Maeve and to Elsie.

When she was gone, Elsie found herself studying her host. There was no denying Maeve Millay was a beautiful woman. Her accent and the elegant way she did everything only added to that, but there was a contradiction to her that was more fascinating to Elsie's curious mind. She had a presence about her that at first glance, Elsie would have assumed she was the sort that didn't care about people like her, but surprisingly Maeve had gone so far as to invite a virtual stranger into her very large home.

"Can I ask you something?" she finally asked.

"Certainly."

"Well, you haven't mentioned a husband or kids, so I'm assuming you live here alone?"

Maeve sipped her wine and lifted her lips. "Well, you're assuming I would actually want a husband," she said pointedly.

Elsie blushed as she realized she hadn't even considered that the fascinating woman across from her, might prefer women.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"That's alright dear," Maeve chuckled. "And to answer your question, yes I am single and without children. Why do you ask?"

Elsie felt her face heat, knowing the woman was expecting to be hit on and knowing she'd like nothing more than to have the courage to do so. Instead, she did as she always did and played it safe.

"I was…well, it just seems like an awful big house for one person."

Maeve lifted a surprised eyebrow. Truthfully, she had been expecting another lame come-on. It seemed those were the only ones she tended to attract these days, but once again young Elsie had surprised her and very few people were able to do that anymore. She decided to return the favor and surprise the other woman with more honesty than Elsie was probably expecting.

"It is. It's way more room than I need but I spent more years than I care to admit, living and working in a brothel in Nevada." She paused, not bothering to hide a smile when Elsie choked on her wine.

"A brothel?" Elsie managed, once she caught her breath.

"Mm-hmm. And needless to say, sharing a house with that many girls for so long made me a bit…claustrophobic."

"Brothel?" Elsie repeated, unable to think of any other word at that moment, as several extremely inappropriate images were racing through her mind.

Maeve's amusement continued to grow. "Are you alright?"

Elsie blinked several times before she finally regained her composure. "Yes. I'm…I hope I didn't offend you. I was just kind of shocked. Well, a lot shocked."

"You didn't offend me," Maeve assured her. "I'm well aware of what some people think of the profession, but their opinion doesn't matter a damn to me. I'm not ashamed and I was very good at it. I treated the customers with the respect I wanted to receive and they seemed to like me so much it paid for my undergrad degree and a very good bit of med school."

"I can understand that," Elsie lied.

"Can you?" Maeve smiled, seeing the lie in the pretty face.

"Well no," Elsie admitted. "Not because I don't have to work to pay for my education. I did have scholarships, but I spent my undergrad years working two jobs for extra income, but how were you…how could you let…" she paused, not wanting to sound preachy or judgmental.

"But…how could I let strangers touch me so intimately?"

"Yeah. Especially those you weren't even attracted to."

Maeve shrugged. "It wasn't always easy. Yes, there were men…and a few women, that some may not see as attractive, but that never bothered me. Those poor dears just wanted to feel special like anyone else and I was honored to do that for them."

Elsie nodded. "I can see that about you," she said, offering a shy smile that Maeve found incredibly endearing.

"And I didn't mean physically attractive," Elsie continued. "Looks are…well, if people bother to look, you can find beauty in anyone."

Maeve found herself touched by Elsie's comment. "That's very true Elsie. Very few people see things the way we do. Unfortunately, to a lot of people, someone is either 'hot' or not. They never look past the obvious and those were my least favorite clients."

"Weren't you afraid? I mean what about the assholes. The ones who thought they were better than you, or that you were just an object that they could treat however they wanted."

"I wasn't afraid. Not really," Maeve admitted. "There were a few men who tried to get rough, but they quickly discovered I can take care of myself and that no matter what they paid, any hint of violence would have them thrown out on their asses, probably with some broken bones of their own."

Elsie shook her head, still trying to reconcile the established surgeon with the former prostitute and not succeeding.

"Do you have a problem with my past?" Maeve asked, all traces of amusement gone.

"No," Elsie replied quickly. "No, of course not. I'm just surprised. I mean, I may not get it, but that's my hang up. I actually kind of admire the fact you aren't ashamed of it either."

Maeve wasn't entirely sure what to make of that so she simply shrugged. "Thank you. So, does that explain my rather expansive living space?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry if I was nosy."

"Quit apologizing," Maeve said gently. "You have every right to ask about the person you're trusting with your safety and care."

"And I could say the same," Elsie pointed out. "All you know about me is I tend to wander out into the road without looking."

Maeve chuckled. "Indeed. So, tell me about Elsie Hughes."

Elsie snorted. "Well, I'm nowhere as interesting as you," she said. "At the moment, I'm finishing up my PhD in Biotechnology"

Maeve's eyes widened. "Really?" she said. "That sounds like an incredibly fascinating field of study."

"Oh, it is," Elsie replied excitedly. "I mean, it's a field that has been around for years, but as technology continues to grow, the possibilities do too and right now, the possibilities are almost endless. Better prosthetics, better artificial organs, artificial intelligence...just all kinds of things."

Maeve found herself charmed by the young woman's innocent enthusiasm and she finally let herself realize what a beautiful woman Elsie Hughes was. Interesting.

"You say you're getting your doctorate? How much longer do you have?"

"I defend my dissertation in four months."

"That soon? And what is your topic?"

Elsie paused, unsure if Maeve was merely being polite or was truly interested. She was a very difficult woman to read.

"I could bore you for hours," Elsie laughed awkwardly, "but the short version is the feasibility of sentience in artificial intelligence."

"What? Are you talking about androids?" Maeve asked with surprise.

Elsie blushed, realizing how almost silly it sounded, coming from a woman who saved lives for a living.

"Well in a way I guess. I know it's not medicine or anything, but learning how to make more life-like technology that has life-like adaptability can help with so many things including making prosthetics that are much more responsive and interactive or creating technology that could generate artificial nerve impulses to help people walk again."

Maeve quickly reached out and placed a hand on Elsie's arm. "Please don't think I'm belittling your project. I think it's brilliant, truly. I just didn't know technology had come so far as to even consider the idea of sentient A.I.'s"

Elsie tried hard not to notice how warm Maeve's hand felt against her skin. "Well, theoretically it really isn't possible, but when you consider the electricity that the body and the mind produce and all it's capable of, it's only logical to try and integrate technology with that. Not to replace anything, but to enhance it."

Once again, Maeve forgot herself for a moment as she was swept up in Elsie's excitement and the way it lit up her face. For one startling second, she felt a wildly inappropriate urge to kiss her, but she ignored it. For now.

"You really are quite an impressive young woman," Maeve commended, sitting back in her chair.

Elsie smiled shyly. "Thank you. I just hope the people I'm defending to, and my employer, agree with you."

"Working on a doctorate, teaching classes _and_ working? My, word, you are something of a Wonder Woman, aren't you?"

Elsie laughed. "Hardly."

Maeve considered arguing, but decided it would only make the other woman uncomfortable. "So where do you work? If you don't mind my asking."

"Well, right now I'm just a researcher at Delos Incorporated."

"Delos?" Maeve frowned. "Aren't they involved in amusement parks?" She thought that seemed grossly beneath Elsie's skill level.

"Well yes, that's one of their divisions, but they do a lot more than that. Oh, I probably shouldn't have said that," Elsie bit her lip, wondering if she'd actually crossed the line of violating her confidentiality agreement, or just placed her toe on it.

"Don't worry love, I'll pretend I didn't hear anything," Maeve smiled, more curious than ever.

"Thanks." Before she could say anything else, she let out a less than ladylike yawn.

"Oh, my God, I'm so sorry."

Maeve chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I know it's been an exhausting day for you. Come on, I'll help you get changed."

Elsie's eyes shot wide at that. Only now did she realize she couldn't dress or undress by herself and that this extremely attractive woman was the one offering to help.

"I don't…I think I can do it myself," she stammered, knowing her face must be bright red and not even caring.

Maeve bit her lip, trying not to grin at the young woman's sudden shyness. "You really think so?" She asked with a knowing expression.

Elsie may be a lot of things, but she knew her limits. "No," she pouted.

Maeve did chuckle at that. "Rest easy Elsie, I am a doctor and you don't have anything I haven't seen before," she teased and got to her feet. "I promise I'll only ogle a little," she added, laughing at the blush on Elsie's face as she wheeled her chair to the master bedroom.

Despite her teasing, Maeve was all business as she carefully helped Elsie out of her clothes, pausing briefly to examine the bruised area over her ribs and then slid a loose t-shirt gently over Elsie's head.

"Are you okay?" Maeve asked, looking for any signs of pain in the girl's face and finding a hint in her dark eyes.

"I'm okay, mostly. Lifting my arms hurt a little."

"I'm sorry about that," Maeve said sincerely. "Here, let me help you into bed and then I'll fetch you a pain pill, shall I?"

"Oh goodie, drugs!'" Elsie grinned. "Maybe staying here won't be so bad after all."

Maeve frowned. "Elsie, these aren't 'drugs. They're…"

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," Elsie laughed. "I was just kidding."

Maeve was relieved enough to hear Elsie laugh, that she didn't mind the teasing. "Glad to hear it. Now let me help get you into bed."

Elsie looked up at the beautiful woman and those big dark eyes and had to force herself not to make an inappropriate comment. She'd save that for later.

"Thanks," was all she said and then any amusement she might have felt vanished as Maeve slid an arm around her to help her out of the chair and pain shot through her body.

"I'm so sorry," Maeve murmured, though she didn't stop. "Just hold on a few moments," she encouraged and carefully guided Elsie to the bed, wincing herself at each hiss of pain she heard.

"There we are, all sorted," Maeve said, slightly out of breath. "I'm so sorry about the pain."

"That's okay," Elsie replied weakly. "It'll pass."

"I'll be right back with your pain pill and then we'll both call it a night, yes?"

"Are you telling me you're going to go to bed at six thirty?" Elsie's lips lifted in a tired smile.

Maeve chuckled "Well, I may just read and watch television for a while, but with my hours, I often go to bed fairly early." She left the room and went to get the bag from the pharmacy. She took a pill and filled a glass of water as well as Elsie's phone and went back to the bedroom.

"Here we are," she said.

"Thank you," Elsie said, taking the pill with no attempt at arguing.

"Now, the remote for the telly is on the table next to you, and here's your mobile. Oh, if you can unlock it, I'll put my phone number in so if you need anything you can just call me since I'll be upstairs."

Elsie listened to Maeve talked and let out a little sigh. "How about reading me a story?" she blurted.

Maeve blinked. "Pardon?"

Elsie realized what had just left her mouth and rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. Still, the truth was the truth so why hide it. "I like your accent," she said. "It's kind of comforting."

Maeve shook her head. "Thank you," she replied, "but no stories for you. Unless you want me to read from todays newspaper?"

"Oh, God no," Elsie retorted a shudder. "I don't think even you could make that tolerable."

"The American media is dreadful," Maeve agreed. "So, you'll be alright by yourself?"

"How could I not be, in this monster sized bed," Elsie teased.

"Oh, my darling, there are so many ways I could answer that," Maeve said, with a lilt in her voice that had Elsie swallowing and wishing she wasn't injured.

"Well, that would be an interesting story, whenever you'd like to tell it," Elsie replied.

Maeve lifted an eyebrow, a bit surprised by the sudden flirtatious turn of the conversation.

"Hm. I'll keep that in mind, dear," she smiled. "Now, get some rest. Tomorrow I need to go to the hospital and take care of some things before I start my leave but Carolyn will be here to make sure you're fed properly and have Teddy and Dolores will fetch your things and they'll make sure you're looked after, until I get home and then for the next few weeks, my little darling, will have very rare opportunity to have a surgeon as your personal home care provider."

"I'm sorry, what?" Elsie frowned, not entirely sure she had heard correctly. She couldn't possibly have.

"I know, it's a bit difficult to believe and if you knew me better, you'd say it was impossible, but I'm taking an extended leave from the hospital and I'm going to be taking care of you."

Elsie was absolutely floored. "You don't need to do that. I'm sure my insurance would pay for a nurse or C.N.A or something."

"Possibly," Maeve agreed, though she doubted it. "However, I'm going to do it and please don't argue because this is not an offer I've ever made and most likely will never make again."

"If this is because you think I'm going to sue or something, you don't have to worry," Elsie rushed to assure her. "The accident was my fault and you've already done so much for me."

Maeve studied the woman for a moment.

"You aren't used to having people help you, are you?"

Elsie scoffed. "No. Not without wanting something."

"I can understand that," Maeve replied, surprised to discover she had anything in common with this young woman. "However, rest assured, that I want nothing more than to help you and if it makes you feel better, that is not something I'm not accustomed to saying."

"That's kind of an odd thing for a doctor to admit," Elsie quipped, but was rather moved by the admission. She had a suspicion that Maeve Millay was a very strong and proud woman who rarely, if ever, revealed herself to anyone.

"I'm kind of an odd woman," Maeve replied pleasantly. "Sleep well, Miss Hughes."

Elsie didn't stop her as she left. She just leaned back in the enormous bed and tried to make sense of everything that had happened while waiting her pain meds to kick in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Three weeks into her recovery, Elsie was close to going stir crazy. Maeve's house was awesome, though the things she really wanted to use, namely the pool and hot tub, she still couldn't because of her cast.

Maeve continued to go out of her way to be generous, going so far as to help set up an office where Elsie could work on her thesis and even bought her an Xbox and a gift card to buy whatever game she wanted. Her bosses at Delos had been more than understanding about her time off than she'd expected, stating her position would be waiting for her when she returned and agreeing to let her work on non-classified projects that needed to be completed.

After the first week, Elsie had insisted that Maeve return to work as she knew there were people who needed a surgeon far more than she needed a babysitter. Maeve had reluctantly agreed, and Teddy and Dolores as well as Carolyn had promised they would take be there if Elsie needed anything, and they had been.

Carolyn had been wonderful, cooking Elsie anything she wanted which almost always turned out to be a grilled cheese sandwich. Elsie had tried to fix her own meals, but Carolyn had refused, however she did let Elsie keep her company as they talked about all kinds of things.

Teddy and Dolores had turned out to be a lot of fun. Teddy had another job and wasn't around much except weekends, but Dolores was Maeve's personal assistant and spent most of her work day at the house, either in Maeve's own private office or hanging out with Elsie playing video games. Elsie was surprised to discover that Dolores was the daughter of one of the prostitutes Maeve used to work with and still kept in contact with. When the woman had said that her daughter had been going down a horrible path and had been arrested hooking on the strip, Maeve offered to have Dolores come out and work for her.

Dolores didn't know the entire story, but she was grateful for the older woman. She paid well and gave her jobs that nobody would have ever trusted an uneducated, former hooker with. She even sent Dolores to school to learn about computers and technology in the event that she wanted to pursue other work, but Dolores was happy for now. Maeve could be a bit challenging, when people crossed her, but she was far more generous than she wanted people to believe.

Elsie wasn't surprised by that. Maeve Millay clearly tried to present a hard shell that Elsie suspected she developed back at the brothel and had to maintain as a surgeon, in order to protect herself, but the doctor clearly didn't know how badly she failed at it.

Still, despite Maeve's kindness, Elsie vowed not to take advantage of it. She was still in the wheelchair for at least three more weeks, so there wasn't a lot she could do, but she was eventually able to convince Carolyn to let her help with some of the cleaning.

Sometimes Maeve got home early enough they could have dinner and spend a few hours in front of the television or talking and then Maeve would turn her attentions to taking care of Elsie and helping her with her shower.

The first few times Maeve had helped remove her clothes, Elsie had been too focused on minimizing the resulting pain, but then her focus turned to more inappropriate things, like how gentle the doctor was as she slid Elsie's yoga pants off and how erotic the sight of the strong woman, the established surgeon, kneeling before plain old Elsie Hughes, really was, not to mention the feeling of long, warm fingers as they brushed her thighs.

Elsie had squashed those thoughts, hopefully before Maeve had noticed anything and simply started silently counting to a million as Maeve helped move her naked body from the chair to the shower bench. She'd had to insist on drying herself, knowing that would be far too much contact. This went on almost every night, unless Maeve was staying late at the hospital.

Eventually, Elsie began to dread the nights that Maeve was gone all night. It helped that Dolores stayed with Elsie, to help if she needed to get up during the night, but Elsie found herself missing the older woman, probably more than she should and she found herself sending the doctor little text messages, hoping they would make Maeve smile. Sometimes Maeve replied right away, but sometimes it took a few hours, if she was in surgery, but it always made Elsie feel better hearing back from her host.

Maeve did manage to take off two days a week to spend at home where she'd take Elsie out to the park for some fresh air and Elsie taught her the fine art of video warfare. All the while, the flirtatious banter they'd exchanged that first night, happened more and more often and sometimes Elsie caught Maeve watching her with an expression that sent shivers down her back, but neither made any attempt on following up on the banter and Elsie wasn't sure if she was relieved or frustrated.

At the end of her second month of recovery, Elsie had finally been put on crutches instead of a wheel chair. It still limited where she could go or what she could do, but Elsie had just finished typing the last word for her dissertation and she wanted to cry with relief. She'd thought she'd never get finished, but she was and with still six weeks to review and edit and then practice her arguments. She wondered if her extremely intelligent host would be willing to help her?

Right on cue, her phone rang. She smiled to see Maeve's name on the caller id, Maeve had been gone since the day before and Elsie had missed her.

"Hey Doc," she greeted warmly.

"Hi Elsie. How are things going?"

Elsie frowned, thinking Maeve sounded more drained than she ever had.

"What's wrong?"

Maeve sighed in her ear. "Just a rough day, dear. I'm afraid I had a patient die during surgery."

"Oh Maeve, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you, Elsie. The poor fellow was stabbed during a mugging. I knew his chances were slim anyway, but I had to try."

"I have no doubt you did all you could," Elsie assured her.

"Thank you," Maeve repeated. "I need to speak to the police officers investigating the stabbing and then I'll be home. It will probably be close to 7."

"Okay. See you then." After Maeve hung up, Elsie sat there with her heart hurting for her friend. Suddenly an idea formed. After everything the woman had done for her, Elsie could do nothing else but try and help Maeve through her difficult day. She would have asked Dolores, but the assistant was out of town until the next day, so she grabbed her crutches and headed into the kitchen.

Carolyn was already in the kitchen, writing down her meal plans for the week when Elsie entered.

"Hey Carolyn."

"Hi Elsie. Get your paper done?"

"Yes, finally, thank God," she smiled. "So, I just heard from Maeve. She'll be home in a couple of hours but she had a tough day. She lost a patient."

"Oh no," the older woman said sadly.

"Yeah, so I thought maybe we could do something special for her for dinner and I could run her a hot bath upstairs?"

Carolyn studied the young woman. Elsie Hughes had proven to be a very bright and courteous young woman and it hadn't taken her long to see that Elsie had developed a bit of a crush on Maeve and it wasn't hard to see the doctor wasn't unaffected by her intriguing young woman either, but her employer was far too proud and independent to go after a shot at happiness.

"I think that's a lovely idea," Carolyn agreed. I have just the thing for dinner I think."

"And I can go run her bath, maybe put out some candles and classical music. People relax to that, don't they?'

Carolyn laughed at the rather innocent question. "Well many people do," she answered, wondering how this young woman relaxed, outside of violent video games.

"Cool." She looked around, suddenly realizing something. "Do we have any candles?"

"I'm fairly sure there are some around here somewhere."

"Great. So, tell me your idea for dinner and how to make it."

Carolyn shrugged and the two women went about planning the menu. Elsie insisted on doing everything possible by herself.

It was clear to Carolyn that Elsie was not a woman that spent a great deal of time in the kitchen, but she found her enthusiasm quite endearing.

Soon, everything was prepared, and they were just waiting until Maeve returned to put the salmon in the oven and prepare the salads.

Elsie looked at the clock and her eyes shot wide. "Crap. Maeve will be home in twenty minutes," she swore. "Carolyn, can you help me find the candles?"

"Why don't I go get them, while you start the bath?"

Elsie nodded. She looked at the stairs, wondering how she was going to get up them until she remembered she was staying in Maeve's master bedroom with the master bath which came equipped with a separate and very large tub.

She turned on the water, making it extra hot so it wouldn't cool before Maeve got in it. Carolyn returned with several candles of various sizes and a lighter. Then, at Elsie's request, she left the younger woman alone to set up everything.

It took some searching, but Elsie knew that of every woman she'd ever met, Maeve Millay would have some type of bath bubbles or beads in her cabinets and she was right. As the tub was filling, she set up the candles and lit them, then, unable to find a stereo nearby, she took her phone, found an app that played soothing classical music and set it up on the vanity. Everything looked pretty relaxing, Elsie thought. She just hoped that when Maeve said two hours, she meant it.

Maeve sighed as she walked in the front door, willing the heaviness of the day to leave her. She'd lost patients before, it was the one part of the job she hated, but sometimes it couldn't be avoided. Still she never got used to the sick feeling in her gut or the sense of failure.

She found it odd that there were none of the sounds she was used to hearing when she came in. Carolyn was usually in the kitchen finishing dinner and Elsie could be heard swearing from her makeshift office as she edited her dissertation and Dolores was there to greet her with any appointments she'd made throughout the day. She knew Dolores had gone out of town, but that there was no sign of Carolyn or Elsie was puzzling.

"Hello?"

"Oh Dr. Millay, you're home," Carolyn greeted, looking behind her.

"Carolyn, I keep telling you to call me Maeve."

"I know," Carolyn smiled. "You're home a bit sooner than we thought," she added.

Maeve's eyes narrowed, feeling suspicious. "What's going on?"

She walked past Carolyn and stopped when she saw the table set more elegantly than normal for just two people.

"Well, when Elsie heard about your day, she wanted to do something for you. She's done most of the work preparing dinner and while that's cooking, she drew you a hot bath."

Maeve was shocked. "What? Why would she go to all that trouble?"

Carolyn shrugged. "Because she likes you and wanted to make you feel better."

Maeve struggled to understand that. "She did?"

"It's not so hard to believe," Carolyn smiled, understanding her employer more than Maeve probably even knew.

"Well, thank you," Maeve said warmly, her heart filled with something she couldn't really explain.

"Don't thank me," Carolyn said happily. "Thank Elsie. I helped a bit with the cooking, but she did the majority of it. And now, I'm going to head home. My husband is taking me to dinner tonight."

"Oh. Okay, well whether you think I should or not, thank you Carolyn. For everything." She kissed the woman on the cheek, smiling to see the always composed woman, blushing.

"Well, your welcome. Now, tell Elsie everything is cooking and should be done in thirty minutes and the salads are in the refrigerator."

"Where is she?" Maeve asked, looking around.

"Still in the master bath, I presume."

"Okay, well have a lovely dinner Carolyn."

"You too."

When Carolyn was gone, Maeve headed into her room, which was currently Elsie's. She stood in the doorway for a moment, watching. The young woman lighting the last of what appeared to be dozens of candles. Clearly unaware she was being watched, Elsie was tapping on her phone and then Maeve heard the sounds of classical music. Mozart, if she wasn't mistaken. Then Elsie placed her phone on the vanity and turned to leave the bathroom, letting out a very undignified squeal as she saw Maeve standing there.

"Holy hell Maeve," Elsie gasped, clutching at her chest. "Why don't you give me a heart attack or something."

"Sorry, love," Maeve grinned, clearly lying. "So, what's all this about then?"

Elsie shrugged, even as she felt her face turn painfully red. "I thought you needed a bit of pampering after today."

And Maeve's heart flipped over happily. She had accepted her attraction to this peculiar young woman weeks ago, but had refused to act on it, not wanting Elsie to fear she was being pressured out of obligation, but she was extremely tempted to kiss the young woman right then and there.

"Well, who am I to refuse such a lovely offer?" Maeve smiled kindly. Deciding to test Elsie's own feelings on the matter, Maeve's fingers quickly unbuttoned her blouse and slid it off her shoulders.

"Good lord," Elsie breathed as Maeve Millay started to strip right in front of her and Elsie had never seen anything as beautiful in her life. For a long horrible moment, she couldn't move or even form a thought.

Maeve saw a very familiar look on Elsie's face, and while she'd desire on the faces of her clients back in the old days, what she saw in Elsie's eyes went beyond simple lust and it gave her the answer she'd been looking for, but there was time.

"You alright, darling?" Maeve asked with amusement.

"Hm?" Elsie muttered, pulling her eyes from the splendid expanse of skin in front of her and meeting Maeve's knowing smile.

"Oh crap," she blurted. "I…uh…I'm fine. I need to go. Check on dinner I mean."

Maeve just barely kept from teasing the girl further. "Carolyn said it would be twenty minutes or so."

"Well, then I'll let you have your bath. Is the music okay?"

"It's lovely," Maeve said kindly.

"Good. Uh...can I get you some wine?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." Maeve felt she should say something else, but she could see the young woman was feeling anxious so, she let her go. She finished removing her clothes and then finally submerged herself into the still steaming hot bath. She leaned her head back against the edge and sighed heavily. She closed her eyes and almost instantly she visualized Elsie Hughes and her pretty dark eyes. It didn't take long before the sadness and sense of failure she'd felt since leaving the hospital, faded away.

The smell of chicken wafted into the bathroom, stirring Maeve from her relaxed daze. Between that and the cooling water, she realized that she'd been soaking longer than she'd thought.

She stepped out of the tub and drained it. She quickly pulled on some yoga pants and a tank top and headed toward the kitchen.

Maeve frowned when she heard a lot of clattering and banging coming from the kitchen, but then the loud "Ow! Dammit!" brought a smile to her face until she realized Elsie may have hurt her leg.

"Elsie? What happened, are you alright?" she asked, entering the kitchen. Her worry vanished when she saw a clearly disgruntled Elsie sucking on her index finger.

"I burnt myself," Elsie muttered irritably.

Maeve couldn't help but be charmed by how adorable the young woman looked, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, baggy pajama's cut off on one leg and a very snug t-shit, mixed with the cutest pout while she sucked on her injured digit. It was an extremely alluring sight and this time, she decided she wasn't going to ignore it.

She walked toward Elsie, a very determined expression on her face.

"Oh, poor thing," she said warmly. Careful not to throw off Elsie's balance, she gently pulled Elsie's finger from her mouth and began to rub the injured digit.

It took several seconds before Elsie's brain started to work again. The moment she'd seen Maeve standing in the kitchen in her yoga pants and a tank top that had Elsie's mouth watering. The arms on that woman sent her blood pressure through the roof. And then, before she knew it, Maeve was standing far too close for Elsie's comfort, rubbing her finger.

"Shall I fetch some ointment?" Maeve smiled, seeing the dazed look in those wide brown eyes.

"Some what?" Elsie managed.

"Ointment," Maeve repeated with an amused patient. "Or should I just kiss it better?"

Elsie nearly swallowed her tongue. "Is that your usual treatment?" she asked, pleased that she was able to manage that.

"Well I don't usually tend to baking injuries," Maeve quipped, "however I'm willing to make an exception for you."

Elsie would have loved to say something equally playful and witty, but she couldn't think of anything but feeling Maeve's lips on her skin.

"Uh…well, that would be nice of you."

Maeve chuckled, but Elsie thought it sounded more predatory than amused.

"I do try," Maeve said, then, not taking her eyes from Elsie's, she lifted the injured finger to her lips. Deciding to test the waters a bit more, she flicked her tongue out against the burnt skin. The instant darkening of Elsie's eyes was enough for Maeve to decide that she wouldn't be going to bed without kissing Elsie Hughes. However, the sound of a timer going off, interrupted her thoughts.

"Damnit," Elsie swore at the interruption, ignoring the soft laughter coming from the taller woman. "Uh, why don't you go sit down while I finish here?" she suggested, needing some time to regather her faculties.

"Don't be silly," Maeve chided. "You're on crutches. You need to sit and I'll finish everything."

"Yeah, but I wanted to…"

"Darling, you've done a great deal for me already and I do feel much better. And as a doctor, I can't in good conscious, let you continue standing any longer, so run a long and have a seat. I'll finish in here."

"Have I mentioned that you're bossy?" Elsie muttered.

"Quite a few times," Maeve replied cheerfully. "Now, scoot."

Elsie stuck her tongue out but hobbled into the dining room. She sat at the table and poured two glasses of wine as she tried to forget the feeling of Maeve's tongue against her fingertip.

It wasn't long before the other woman appeared, carrying their dinner.

"Thank you," Elsie smiled up at Maeve as she placed a plate in front of her.

"Nonsense. I'm the one who should be thanking you. This looks positively delicious," Maeve said sincerely, sitting down across from Elsie.

"Well, if it's edible, you should thank Carolyn," Else deflected.

"Not true. Carolyn told me you basically did everything and she just guided when needed."

"She didn't want to be blamed if you got food poisoning," Elsie grinned.

"Of course," Maeve chuckled, sipping from her wine.

"Not that I'm not grateful for this lovely dinner, but why did you do all this?"

Elsie smiled kindly. "I wanted to. You had a really, really bad day and I just wanted you to be able to come home and, if not forget about it, at least let go of some of it."

Maybe it was the emotions from losing her patient, maybe it was the long hours she'd been working or the lack of sleep, or maybe it was the knowledge that nobody had ever looked after her before, but Maeve felt tears spring to her eyes and she was mortified to hear a sob leave her throat.

Elsie heart clenched when she saw the tears sliding down Maeve's face.

"Oh damn, I screwed up," Elsie said anxiously, having no idea how to make it better.

Maeve gave a watery chuckle. "Please don't panic, love. You didn't screw up. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

"Really?" Elsie replied dubiously, wishing she could easily get up and walk around the table to comfort the other woman.

Maeve read Elsie's thoughts as clearly as if she'd spoken them aloud. She wiped at her cheeks and stood up, walking around the table and kneeling beside the startled Elsie.

"What are you doing?" Elsie whispered, her heart suddenly pounding in her ears.

"Elsie, I'm not crying because you upset me. I was just…overwhelmed. Nobody has ever done anything so kind for me before."

"Nobody?" Elsie asked, completely surprised. Surely, she'd had someone, if not family, then a lover at least, who looked after her.

"Nobody," Maeve answered and then finally, she acted on an impulse she'd repressed for weeks. She lifted her hands and cupped the sweet face. For a moment, she lost herself in the innocent brown eyes, and she used a few fingers to push back a lock of dark hair that had escaped it's usual ponytail.

"You are a beautiful mystery," Maeve said quietly, smiling at the blush that colored Elsie's face.

"Hardly," Elsie scoffed, her head spinning and her mouth dry with Maeve being so close and touching her. "I'm an open book."

"I would say you aren't, except your eyes tend to give you away," Maeve smiled, her thumb stroking against her cheek.

A want like she'd never felt, filled Elsie. "What are they saying now?" she asked intently.

Maeve blinked at the sudden flash of desire in Elsie's eyes. My, my, she thought before deciding there had been enough banter.

"They're saying many things," Maeve whispered and then slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips against Elsie's. Instantly something clicked inside of Maeve, as if something that had been missing was finally snapped into place.

Feeling no resistance from Elsie, Maeve began to kiss her in earnest, tilting her head in order to better explore the beautiful, sassy mouth beneath hers.

Elsie let out a whimper as Maeve kissed her like nobody else ever had. The surgeon was extremely thorough and even more passionate than Elsie had ever dared let herself imagine. And she tasted so very good. She shifted so she could more wrap her arms around the body that had tempted her for months and parted her lips for the silky tongue flicking teasingly against them.

For several moments, Maeve lost herself in the sensation of kissing the young woman. Elsie was a beautifully enthusiastic kisser, yet with her past experience, it was clear to Maeve that Elsie was far more innocent than she looked and Maeve found that extremely exciting. She let Elsie control the pace of the kiss and welcomed the tentative exploration of her tongue. Her hands longed to roam the petite body in front of her, but she held back and let Elsie kiss her with the intensity that her intelligence and curious nature demanded.

Finally, Maeve's knees reminded her she wasn't a twenty-year-old anymore and began to protest their extended position on the floor. She reluctantly broke the kiss and pulled back, resting her forehead against Elsie's as they both caught their breath.

"Well damn," Elsie finally managed, her lips burning and her head spinning.

Maeve chuckled and got to her feet. "I'll take that to mean you liked it?"

At first, Elsie saw Maeve's smile and her insecurities made her fear she was being made fun of, but then she felt the warm press of Maeve's palm against her cheek.

"I did and I kind of hope we get to do it again," Elsie replied, taking Maeve's hand and kissing her palm.

"Just kind of?"

Elsie grinned up at the beautiful woman, still expecting to wake up and discover this had all been a dream.

"Well, more than kinda, but I don't want to freak you out or anything."

Maeve laughed. "There's little chance of that darling," she said. "However, perhaps next time, it should be when we're both comfortable."

So many inappropriate responses sprung to Elsie's mind, but she bit her tongue, having no desire for Maeve to see her as an immature frat boy.

"Are you sure you want there to be a next time?" She asked seriously. "I mean, you're…you, and I'm me and I'm not really…I'm not you."

Maeve blinked as she tried to understand the young woman's rambling. "I'm afraid you lost me."

"Maeve, you're so classy. You have an incredibly important job, a huge house and probably more money than I'll ever see. I'm nobody. I've got no friends or family and am just a lowly intern and college student."

Maeve frowned and pulled her chair around the table until she was seated next to Elsie and then took her hand.

"You are _not_ a nobody, Elsie Hughes," Maeve said firmly. "You are a brilliant young woman who's working her way through a PhD in an area that very few people have the ability to understand, myself included. You have managed to land an internship at an extremely well known research company that doesn't hire anyone all while finishing your doctorate. This tells me how driven you really are. Just as driven as me and I respect ambition and intelligence far more than anything else. It does makes me sad that you've been alone for so long, but you aren't anymore. Do you understand?"

"Not really. I mean, you don't really even know me that well. You hit me with your car and then let me stay here and…oh, I don't know if ever thanked you for that, but thank you."

"You're welcome," Maeve replied, not letting her amusement show as Elsie's rambling, apparently wasn't quite finished.

"I just…I've been attracted to you for a while now," Elsie admitted, "and it's not really hard to see why and I just wonder why you don't think I'm only interested in your looks or all this," she gestured around the large, fancy house.

"Are you?"

"What? No, of course not," Elsie protested quickly.

"I didn't think so. Look Elsie, I had to learn how to read people a long time ago and you can probably guess why. I knew, from the second I looked down at you, in so much pain, but so brave and sarcastic, that you were an unusual woman. I knew right away that you were a woman who had no need to pretend to be anything other than who you were. If I had sensed you were the type to use people to your advantage, I never would have offered you a place to stay."

"Okay. I'm not though. Using you, or just drawn to your looks, though I guess it's easy for me to say when you're all hot and everything," Elsie laughed awkwardly, her heart melting as always at Maeve's soft, throaty laugh.

"You do have a silver tongue, don't you, love?"

Elsie blushed. "You know what I meant."

"I do. Thank you but I suspect that you have no idea how beautiful you are."

"I'm not," Elsie argued, unable to meet those knowing dark eyes. "In fact, my nickname growing up was 'Mouse'.

Maeve felt an unexpected anger on little Elsie's behalf, knowing that anyone had dared make fun of such a gentle heart, but she would make it right.

"Well, I've always found mice to be adorable, not to mention incredibly strong, independent and resilient. Why do you think they were used for research?"

Elsie couldn't help but laugh. "Considering the things those poor creatures have had to endure over the centuries, I'm not sure if I should appreciate that comparison."

"Fair enough," Maeve laughed. "Still it's true. And if I were to call you mouse, it would be for those reasons. It would be to remind you that you're strong and able to endure anything, and are incredibly cute."

"And I work in a lab," Elsie added, with a laugh meant to ease the emotion that threatened to choke her.

"There is that too," Maeve replied. "But since we're discussing insecurities, you won't mind my asking why a young woman, just starting her life, would be attracted to a woman nearly fifteen years older?"

Elsie's eyes widened in surprised, having no idea that Maeve would ever feel insecure about anything.

"Well what does age have to do with anything?" Elsie asked

So, then, we're all sorted?"

"Sure," Elsie smiled, "except for one thing."

"And that would be?"

"How soon before you kiss me again?"

"Oh, my dear," Maeve purred, leaning closer to the other woman and thrilling at the instant flush on Elsie's face. "I will be very happy to kiss you any time…except for right now," she added, pulling back and getting to her feet.

"Wait…what?" Elsie protested, disappointment flooding her.

"Well the dishes aren't going to clean themselves, and Carolyn is _not_ happy when she comes to work and sees dirty dishes in the sink," Maeve said pleasantly, even though her body was shouting at her to return to her enchanting houseguest and finish what she started.

"Maeve, this night was supposed to be for you. You don't need to clean anything. I'll do it."

"Why don't we do it together then, hm?"

"You have to stop saying things like that," Elsie teased, standing as gracefully as she could with her crutches. "You make it very difficult to act like a mature adult."

Maeve furrowed her brow, trying to figure out what Elsie meant, and then the double meaning of her suggestion finally sunk in, drawing a laugh.

"Why Elsie Hughes, you are a cheeky little thing aren't you?"

"Not on purpose."

"That's what makes it so charming," Maeve smiled.

Maeve cleared the table, while Elsie hobbled into the kitchen to start cleaning the dishes. They worked together remarkably well. Maeve learned the sad story about how Elsie had lost her parents when she was a young girl and grew up with foster parents, who had been nice enough. She hadn't had a horrible childhood, but once she aged out of the system, her foster parents had already moved onto another child. Fortunately, she'd received a full scholarship to college, including her room and had managed to find work tutoring and working at the dorm store at night, while still maintaining a 4.0 G.P.A, which allowed her to continue into her graduate studies.

Maeve had talked about her family moving from England when she was a teenager. She had fallen in with a group of friends who tended to call themselves anarchists and activists, but spent more time vandalizing and destroying innocent people's property instead of trying to make a difference. After being arrested for a third time, her parents had had enough. Her father was still a US citizen and was able to convince his bosses to transfer him back to the states. Maeve herself had been glad for the change. She'd grown tired of all the anger and violence she seemed to be constantly swept up in but had been unable to get out from under it on her own.

She'd done well in school and after her mother died during a botched surgery that should have been routine, Maeve had discovered her calling and she poured all her efforts into achieving that dream. She'd been happy for the next few years until her father remarried a much younger woman with a child and before Maeve knew it, she'd been effectively shut out of the family and left to fend for herself. She wasn't a naïve girl and it didn't take long for her to have a plan that would lead her to financing her dreams in the quickest amount of time possible and the day she turned eighteen, she headed to Nevada and the rest was history.

"So, do you ever hear from your father?"

Maeve snorted. "Not really. Occasionally I'll get a letter from him or his wife and daughter, subtly hinting that I owed it to them to have them come stay at my house or help pay their Sharon's education."

"You're kidding," Elsie replied, angry on Maeve's behalf.

"Not at all."

"You didn't, did you?"

"No. I told them I owed them nothing. I did say that perhaps a visit would be something we could arrange, but I wouldn't be paying for Sharon's education, now or ever. I haven't heard back from them."

"Wow, that is pretty shitty."

"Yes, well now you I understand when I say I'm very aware of when people are using me and that I know you're not one of them."

"Does ogling your body count against me?" Elsie grinned, wanting to lighten the mood once again. To her relief, Maeve laughed delightedly.

"No, my dear. Feel free to ogle as much as you'd like, provided you allow me the same courtesy."

For a moment, Elsie let herself imagine having Maeve ogling her and she nearly fainted, but then she remembered the cast on her leg.

"Yeah, I'm pretty irresistible," she laughed.

Maeve ran her eyes over Elsie in a very slow perusal, very much enjoying what she saw. She placed the plate she'd been drying on the counter and approached the other woman until she was backed up against the counter.

"Yeah, you are," she said quietly, gently moving Elsie's crutches and placing her hands on either side of Elsie's hips, effectively boxing her in, while holding her up.

"You think?" Elsie whispered, her heart speeding up at Maeve's closeness.

"Without a doubt," Maeve answered, just before kissing her once more. She kept the kiss gentle, knowing Elsie's balance was precarious at best. It was a true test of her restraint when Elsie's arms slid around her, but Maeve was nothing if not the master of control.

After a few delicious minutes of tasting Elsie's lips, Maeve moved her mouth to Elsie's jaw, kissing along the soft skin and then trailing down her throat, thrilling at the breathless little pants and whimpers.

"Maeve," Elsie moaned, hands clenching at Maeve's shirt.

Reluctantly, Maeve pulled away, after placing a gentle kiss on Elsie's chin. "Oh, Elsie, I would love nothing more than to finish this, but we need to wait until your cast is off."

"We don't have to," Elsie hated the whine in her voice, but it couldn't be helped.

"I know," Maeve told her, handing Elsie back her crutches. "However, when I make love with you the first time, I want it to be enjoyable for both of us, and I know that your cast is anything but."

"I... you're right," Elsie conceded. She knew that any pleasure she would have found with Maeve would have been overshadowed by the cumbersome cast and she didn't want that. "Just knowing you want me…I can wait," she said earnestly.

"And I do," Maeve promised, kissing Elsie on the cheek before stepping away. "Now, I'll finish up here. Do you want to go find a movie or something to watch?"

"Okay," Elsie agreed and started to walk away, but Maeve's warm fingers around her wrist stopped her.

"Elsie, I…thank you so much for tonight. I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to me."

Elsie smiled. "I'm glad. I know it can't really erase what happened today, but if it helped make you feel a bit better…"

"It did make me feel better," Maeve said seriously. _"You_ made me feel better."

"I'm glad," Elsie replied and then left the kitchen before she did something stupid like beg Maeve to kiss her again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

"Dear God, I feel like I could run for miles and miles," Elsie said excitedly as she left the doctor's office.

Maeve laughed, as her arm tightened around the still wobbly Elsie. "You're leg is still a bit weak so I wouldn't advise it."

"Party pooper," Elsie quipped, not at all bothered by her lingering weakness since it resulted in the warmth of Maeve's arm around her.

"Flatterer." Maeve's smile faltered when Elsie suddenly stopped and bent over.

"Else, what is it?" Maeve asked with concern.

"I definitely need to find a razor," Elsie muttered as she scratched desperately at her newly freed leg.

Maeve realized Elsie's dilemma and simply laughed again. "I'm sure you do," she replied. Let's get you home and we can take care of that, and then perhaps some 'therapy' in the hot tub will do wonders for you."

"Heaven," Elsie sighed. "It's been torture seeing that beautiful pool and hot tub and not being able to get in it." Suddenly a thought struck her that erased most of her happiness. "I guess it will be my first and last dip," she said with a faux brightness.

"What do you mean?" Maeve asked, confused by the sudden glumness in her companion's voice.

"Well, I'm healed now, so I should probably be getting back to my apartment. If they haven't rented it out again."

Maeve sighed. She should have known this subject was going to come up, but she'd been too distracted by her own happiness to think of it. Since the night that Elsie had made dinner for her, the two women had fallen into an almost blissfully domestic routine. When she wasn't at work, Maeve spent the evenings at home with Elsie, watching movies or sometimes Teddy, Dolores and Carolyn stayed late and they played penny ante poker, drinking far more than was probably wise and there were more kisses, kisses that grew deeper, more intense and heated each time until it grew more and more difficult for them to separate. Now, however, the time had come for a decision to be made.

"How about we discuss this once we get home?" Maeve suggested, sliding her arm once more around Elsie as she led them to her car.

 _Home._ Elsie tried not to like the sound of that too much. "Okay."

Maeve would have been aware of Elsie's thoughts, even if the young woman hadn't been staring moodily out of the passenger side window. She knew how she wanted things to play out, but had no idea what Elsie wanted. Well, she had some idea, but she'd prefer to have their talk when they were home, alone.

"What do you think about pizza for dinner?" she asked, breaking the heavy silence filling the car. Unsurprisingly, Elsie perked up at that suggestion.

"I think I could get on board with that," Elsie smiled.

"Do you fancy any particular restaurant or…"

"Why don't we make our own?" Elsie suggested, a glimmer of excitement filling her. She'd really enjoyed working beside Maeve in the kitchen before and she thought this would maybe be one last fun 'girl's' night.

"I have no idea how to make a pizza," Maeve protested with a grin.

"It's not complicated, even for a fancy surgeon," Elsie laughed. "Just the pizza dough, which they have pre-made these days, sauce, cheese and whatever topping you want."

"Whatever I want, hm?"

"Well nothing gross," Elsie replied quickly. "Unless you're planning on making your own."

"What constitutes 'gross'?

"You know…anchovies, mushrooms…vegetables in general."

Maeve laughed at that. "You realize that as a doctor, I should be promoting a vegetarian pizza, however we can do it your way, my little carnivore."

Elsie wasn't sure why, but that endearment made her heart flutter more than any of the darling's, dear's and love's she'd already heard.

"I knew you'd see it my way," she said smugly.

Maeve let Elsie have her moment as she connected her blue tooth and called Dolores asking her to turn on the hot tub and then telling her she and Carolyn could have the rest of the day off. She then stopped at the nearest grocery store.

"I'll be right back," she told Elsie who was already taking off her seatbelt.

"No way. I don't trust you to sneak in some sort of 'shroom or something."

"'Shroom?" Maeve cocked an eyebrow at the suddenly sassy young woman.

"Yeah, mushrooms? As in fungus?"

Maeve just shook her head. "You are something," she chuckled, "but I could remind you that you're still walking around with one pant leg cut off and a leg that…well, we'll pick up some razors while we're here."

Elsie looked down at herself, blushing because she had forgotten her current appearance, but then she shrugged.

"So? I don't know these people and maybe they'll be so weirded out, they'll let us cut in front of the line."

"Always optimistic," Maeve grinned. "Very well then. However, you're still going to be a bit shaky on that leg for a bit, so let's get you one of those electric scooters."

"Neat," Elsie agreed happily, just so happy to be rid of her cast, that she'd ride a tricycle if necessary.

Fortunately, neither Maeve nor Elsie enjoyed shopping, so they managed to get into the store and out in the shortest amount of time possible.

Once they were home, they unpacked the groceries and then Maeve helped Elsie back to the master bathroom.

"Now, how about we take care of this forest on your leg," she teased, laughing at the blush on Elsie's face.

"Nice bedside manner you've got there, Doc," Elsie snorted.

"That's why I'm a surgeon, where my patients are usually unconscious. Now, let's get you out of those sweatpants."

"I thought you'd never ask," Elsie said, leering at the woman who was looking hotter than ever in casual yoga pants and t-shirt.

Maeve's eyes went wide as she realized what she'd said and then she smiled, seeing the teasing glint in Elsie's eyes.

"Careful darling, I may take you up on that look in your eyes, sooner than you expect."

Elsie's smirk was replaced by a hard swallow, just imagining the things this woman with her very skilled hands, could do to her.

"I uh…I think I can do this part myself," Elsie said, feeling suddenly awkward. She'd love nothing more than to have Maeve Millay's hands on her, but the thought of her doing something as banal as shaving Elsie's leg made her feel ridiculous.

Maeve wanted to argue. She'd seen the other woman naked numerous times as she helped her into the shower, but somehow, this situation seemed much more intimate and even she felt a bit awkward.

"Very well," she said. "I'm going to go change myself so I'll put a change of clothes for you as well."

"Thanks," Elsie said seriously. "Not just for that, but for going with me today."

"There's nowhere I would have rather been," Maeve replied, trailing a finger down Elsie's cheek before leaving the bathroom.

While Elsie freshened up, Maeve ran out to the trunk where she'd stashed the things she'd picked up for Elsie, on her way home from work the day before and quietly placed them on Elsie's bed before returning to the guest room where she changed into a bathing suit covered by shorts and a t-shirt.

When she retuned downstairs, she found Elsie in the kitchen, carefully making her way around the large space, organizing the things they needed to make the pizza. Maeve was happy see she was in the shorts and tank top, she'd bought her.

"You should be careful, moving about by yourself right now," she commented and then bit back a laugh at the squeak of surprise Elsie released as she spun around.

"Stop doing that," Elsie protested, hands clutching at her chest.

"Sorry," Maeve lied and stepped into the kitchen. "So, what are we doing?"

"Well, I can't speak for you, but I'm getting everything together while deciding if we should have wine or beer."

"Hm. That is a difficult decision," Maeve replied with an insincere thoughtfulness. "I believe, however, I'm in the mood for a lovely Guinness."

"Oh good, I was hoping you'd say that," Elsie grinned, handing an already opened bottle to Maeve.

Maeve just shook her head fondly. "Alright then, what do you say we get this pizza started?"

"Don't you need to turn on the hot tub?"

"Nope. Dolores did that before she left earlier. I'm all yours," Maeve added, deciding she'd gone far too long with out tasting Elsie's lips.

"Ok. Then…oh," Elsie's words froze as she finally caught on to the hidden meaning in Maeve's words and saw how close the surgeon had stepped to her without her even noticing. "You want something?" she managed, attempting to play coy, while trying not to hyperventilate.

Maeve's lips twitched. "Indeed, I do," she practically purred, backing Elsie back against the counter, hands on either side of her hips. Without any further comments, she leaned in and captured Elsie's lips, humming at the sensation she'd gone too long with out.

Almost instantly, Elsie's hands went to Maeve's hips, pulling her closer as the other woman slowly deepened the kiss. For endless minutes, both women lost themselves in a kiss that quickly grew more heated than any they'd shared before. Tongues danced as Maeve's fingers released Elsie's hair from it's usual ponytail and slid inside the silky mass while Elsie's hands slid up Maeve's slender back, desperate to feel her closer until suddenly, her stomach decided to remind them both why they were in the kitchen.

Maeve jumped in surprise at the sudden rumble coming from the woman she'd be kissing and then she laughed.

"Are you trying to tell me you're hungry?" she teased.

"You are a horrible person," Elsie muttered, her face heating painfully

"I know," Maeve replied pleasantly, "now, let's get you fed before you waste away. I have plans for you later."

Elsie nearly fainted at the flash in Maeve's dark eyes. "Kay," was all she managed and then thankfully Maeve turned her attention to the numerous ingredients on the counter and they spent the next while making what Maeve thought was an enormous meat lover's pizza with probably more bacon than was actually healthy.

While the pizza was cooking, Maeve suggested watching television, however Elsie had other ideas. She dragged Maeve to the kitchen table where she sat down and pulled the taller woman into her lap.

"So, we have twenty minutes to kill," she said, smiling up into the beautiful face.

"That we do," Maeve replied, running her hands through the soft brown hair. "Any thoughts on how to spend it?"

Instead of answering, Elsie leaned in and kissed those addictive lips before deciding to explore. She moved her lips along Maeve's jaw, pausing to nibble at her earlobe. She wasn't surprised to learn that Maeve's skin tasted as sweet as her lips and she kissed her way down the long throat. She could almost feel the rapid heartbeat beneath her lips and Elsie thought that if she died right that second, she would be happy.

"Elsie," Maeve moaned, leaning her head back as the younger woman sucked at her neck and she knew that she would not be spending another night alone.

Elsie was about out of her mind as she fed at Maeve's throat, not only aware that she was most likely leaving a hickey, but thrilling at the idea. Then her hands decided to get involved. She moved one of her hands up Maeve's side and had just covered one of her breasts when the timer on the oven suddenly went off, scaring Elsie so badly she nearly dropped Maeve off her lap.

"God dammit!" she muttered, trying to still her racing heart and catch her breath.

Maeve managed to laugh, though she was none too happy with her oven either. "Patience darling," she said warmly. We have all night." She caressed Elsie's warm cheek once, before sliding off her lap, grateful that her legs were still holding her up.

She and Elsie managed to eat their fill of pizza without further distractions and then after cleaning up, they went out to the beautiful back yard that was lit by dozens of solar lights surrounding the pool and the shimmer of the big full moon shining on the water.

"It's really beautiful out here," Elsie sighed happily, handing a bottle of beer to Maeve.

"I admit, it's a bit…extravagant, but with the hours I work and the things I've experienced, I needed one place that I could feel at peace and since I can't run off to Hawaii, I decided to make my backyard as close to a tropical paradise as I could get in the suburbs."

"You never have to justify the way you spend your very hard earned money Maeve. You've worked your ass off to get to where you are and you have every single right in the world to enjoy it however you see fit."

"Thank you my dear," Maeve said sincerely. "You always seem to know the perfect thing to say."

Elsie chuckled. "There are some people who'd argue with that. I'm pretty much known for sticking my foot in my mouth."

Maeve smiled, thinking that attribute just made Elsie more adorable, but she didn't say that. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm ready to get wet."

Naturally, Elsie had just lifted the bottle to her lips and at Maeve's unexpected words, she promptly began choking.

Maeve realized the double entendre in her words right about the time Elsie started having a choking fit. Her amusement battled with her concern as she rubbed at Elsie's back, trying to soothe her.

Finally, Elsie's coughing stopped and she looked at Maeve as she caught her breath. "You did that on purpose," she accused playfully.

"I didn't," Maeve protested. "Apparently, your penchant for eating your foot is contagious. Are you alright now?"

"I'm fine," Elsie said, wondering if there would ever come a time she didn't embarrass herself in front of this woman. No sooner had she had the thought than Maeve stripped off her tank top and shorts, leaving her in a bikini and her brain went numb.

"Uh…" was the only word that came to her mind.

Maeve saw the look on Elsie's face and to her own amazement, she found herself blushing. Given her old line of work, she was no stranger to people looking at her with lust in their eyes, in fact she'd depended on that look to pay her way through college. What she saw in Elsie's was so much more than that. Elsie looked at her as if she saw more than just a body for her own entertainment. She looked at Maeve as if she truly saw her. The desire was there, but Maeve could see a longing that she'd never seen in anyone else's eyes before and for the first time in more years than she could remember, Maeve trembled at the feelings that were filling her for this special young woman.

"Elsie?"

"You are…I'm sorry, I don't mean to be creepy or anything, but you are so beautiful."

"Thank you," Maeve said sincerely, for the first time, truly believing the words. "However, you are the one who is beautiful. Your spirit, your warmth and gentle heart and those eyes that can break a heart with one look and, you forget, I've seen you naked," she added with a mock leer, delighting as always to see the awkward shyness cross the pretty face.

"Yes, well," having no idea how to respond to the compliment, Elsie just told herself to 'man up' and she slipped out of her own tank top and shorts.

"Magnificent," Maeve stated warmly.

Elsie cleared her throat nervously. "Mouse…remember?"

"I remember," Maeve said, silently cursing every single person who made this gentle woman doubt herself. "And if you remember, I have a fondness for mice."

"Says the hungry kitten," Elsie laughed.

Maeve smile and lifted her bottle in a playful salute before taking Elsie's hand. "Come on," she said, leading them to the big hot tub that was already bubbling and steaming.

"Oh, my God that feels good," Elsie sighed, sinking down into the hot water, placing herself in front of one of the jets.

Maeve bit back the inappropriate comment that sprung to mind and slid closer to the younger woman. Almost unconsciously, she pulled Elsie's now healed leg into her lap and began to massage it.

"So, you're defending your dissertation next week, aren't you?"

"Mm hmm," Elsie muttered, lost in the sensation.

"You know, if you'd like someone to practice on, I'd be more than happy to listen or read it."

"Really?" Elsie snapped out of blissful stupor and looked at her…whatever Maeve actually was.

"Of course. I'd love to see how that brilliant mind of yours works."

They fell silent once more as Maeve continued to massage Elsie's leg and Elsie lost herself in the sensation, wishing this time would never end. Suddenly, Elsie's contentment faded as she realized that that there was pretty much no reason for her to stay anymore.

Maeve felt Elsie stiffen and saw the frown cross her face and she paused in her ministrations.

"Elsie? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Elsie sighed, sliding her leg off Maeve's lap. She tried to slide away but Maeve stopped her.

"It's not nothing. What's going on in that head of yours?"

Elsie sighed and took a sip of her beer.

"I was just thinking that since my cast is off and everything, you may be wanting your room back."

Maeve suddenly remembered they'd started this conversation earlier. She considered all the ways she could reply, but decided that now wasn't really the time to play.

"That's where you're mistaken," she said soberly.

"What?" Elsie asked, positive she'd heard wrong or misunderstood.

"That's what I was hoping to talk with you about tonight. I don't want you to leave."

For a second, Elsie wondered if the alcohol and hot water had made her loopy. "You don't want me to leave?" she repeated.

"I was hoping that I could convince you to move in. Permanently."

Elsie just blinked as visions of all sorts of things ran through her mind, most of them of an R-rated theme. "I…like in a roommate?" she asked cautiously, afraid to get her hopes up.

Maeve heard the prodding beneath the seemingly innocent question and smiled. "Well, I won't lie. I have grown quite accustomed to our late-night encounters and wouldn't be averse to pursuing them further," she winked at the rather timid girl, "however, if all you wish is to be roommates, I am happy with that as well. I've become quite…fond of you," she paused on the word fond, knowing that didn't entirely cover her feelings for Elsie, but she didn't want to scare her either, "and I simply like having your company. If we never kiss again, I'd be just as happy having you as a roommate."

She had no idea why, but Elsie felt tears sting her eyes. "And what if I do? Want to pursue our encounters, that is."

"Whatever you want," Maeve promised her. "I just don't want you to leave."

Beneath the strong features, the confidence and hint of arrogance, Elsie could see the loneliness and it almost broke her heart. She placed a hand on Maeve's face. "I don't want to leave," she whispered. "I've become quite 'fond' of you too," she offered a smile as she repeated Maeve's understatement.

Maeve covered Elsie's hand and placed a kiss in here palm. "You mean it? You'll stay?"

"As long as you'll have me," Elsie replied sincerely and then Maeve's lips were once more on hers. This time it was Elsie that shifted in the steaming water until she was straddling Maeve's lap.

Careful of Elsie's leg, Maeve wrapped her arms around the younger woman, letting her hands slide up the smooth skin of her back. In all the times, she'd helped Elsie bathe, she had never let herself see Elsie as a physical being because her focus had been to care for the injured woman, not ogle her. Now, however, she felt the freedom to explore the innocent beauty that had tempted her for months. Her own body shivered as she felt the muscles beneath silky skin, shifting under hands and she'd never felt anything as erotic as the innocent but extremely enthusiastic passion of Elsie's kisses.

"Elsie," she whispered into Elsie's neck. There was so much she wanted to say, but for once, her emotions had her unable to express herself.

Elsie could almost feel the tension in Maeve, and it amazed her that she, of all people, had managed to affect this woman so and she felt a wave of protectiveness and something else that she was afraid to name.

"You make me feel things I didn't know I was capable of," Elsie whispered, hands stroking softly through Maeve's hair.

Maeve's heart flipped at the shy admission and she placed a gentle kiss on Elsie's chin. "And you make me feel things I never knew I wanted to," she admitted.

Elsie pulled back a little. "Do you regret it?" she asked warily.

"No, my darling. Not one bit." And before Elsie could let her self doubt take over again, Maeve kissed her, showing her just how much she didn't regret it.

"Do you mind if we take this somewhere a little more…dry?" Elsie panted while Maeve's lips trailed between her breasts.

Maeve really didn't want to stop what she was doing, but the thought of having this beautiful, brilliant and enigmatic woman in her bed was far too compelling.

Without a word, Maeve slid out from under Elsie and took her hand, pulling her from the hot tub. Not giving a single damn about the water they were tracking through the house, Maeve led Elsie into the master bedroom.

"We're dripping on the carpet," Elsie pointed out dumbly as Maeve stepped in front of her.

"I don't care," Maeve murmured, sliding the straps of Elsie's bathing suit off her shoulder. She kissed along the strong shoulder, nipping along the way before removing Elsie's bathing suit all together.

"You are so beautiful," Maeve whispered, running her hands over the spectacular body, loving the way Elsie's shy blush seemed to cover every inch of her.

Elsie couldn't form a single word in response, she just reached out and removed Maeve's swimsuit, letting her hands say what her mouth seemed incapable of.


	4. Chapter 4

**EPILOGUE** 6 months later.

Elsie stepped inside the restaurant, her footsteps faltering as she noticed the extremely lavish décor. She'd heard of _Rossini's_. It was one of the premier fine dining establishments in the city and one she had never expected to ever be able to afford to step foot in. And now, here she was. She looked down at her rather conservative pant suit, hoping it was fancy enough, but she had to come. Maeve had sent her a text saying that she wanted to celebrate Elsie's becoming the lead researcher at Delos by taking her to dinner.

"Do you have a reservation?" The female voice broke into her thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry. No, I'm meeting someone. Dr. Maeve Millay?"

"Dr. Millay?" The young woman looked at her screen. "Oh yes. She's already here." The hostess led Elsie through the crowded dining room and over to a surprisingly secluded table, where Maeve was seated, long legs crossed and on display thanks to what appeared to be a very short black dress. She had to touch her chin to make sure she wasn't drooling.

Maeve saw the two women approaching and got to her feet, offering a warm smile.

"Thank you," Elsie said politely to the hostess, who left them alone.

"Here she is," Maeve greeted, taking Elsie's hands and kissing her cheeks. "Dr. Hughes, I'm honored you could join me."

"Stop," Elsie blushed.

"Not a chance. What you've achieved at Delos in only six months? It's extremely impressive Elsie. You continue to impress me every single day."

"Thanks," Elsie smiled, "but you Maeve, you save lives for a living. That's impressive."

Maeve wanted to argue, but she had plans for the evening and they didn't involve a debate over who's work was more important.

"Why don't we just say we are two incredibly awesome women and leave it at that, yes?"

"Fair enough," Elsie laughed.

"Would you care for some champagne?"

Elsie finally noticed the silver champagne cooler sitting on the other side of the table. Her eyes spied three letters on the bottle that had her gaping.

"Dom Perigone?" She said, bemused. "Maeve, that's way too…"

"Uh-uh, darling. No talk of price," Maeve chided, "and besides, aren't you the one who said I should spend my money however I wanted?"

"Yeah…on yourself," Elsie protested.

"Doing something to make you happy, makes me happy," Maeve countered, pouring the champagne into both flutes. "Just enjoy it, my dear."

"Thank you," Elsie acknowledged, not wanting to make Maeve unhappy.

"Now a toast. To you Dr. Elsie Hughes; the newest and youngest lead researcher for a major corporation and the young woman who has given me more happiness than I ever expected to find."

Elsie's heart melted into a puddle. "And to you, Dr. Maeve Millay, who ran over my leg and straight into my heart," she grinned and then her brain froze as she realized what she'd just said.

"You're heart?" Maeve whispered. Over the last six months, the two women had spent every possible moment together. Maeve had moved back into her master bedroom and every night she didn't have to work, she was wrapped in Elsie's arms, resting from the endless pleasure the other woman gave to her. In the sleepy afterglow, they'd tiptoed around declaring their feelings, but had never said it, both too afraid to take that final step.

Elsie met Maeve's shocked expression and she swallowed. She wanted to laugh it off, or pretend she hadn't said it, but she decided she didn't want to. After all that Maeve had done for her, Elsie could be nothing less than honest with her.

"Yeah. My heart. I don't want to scare you or anything, but I think I started to fall for you the second I looked up at you after you hit me."

"Yeah?" Maeve whispered.

"Yeah. You had these big beautiful eyes, that actually looked worried for me. You were so bossy and so anxious and sexy."

Maeve offered a throaty chuckle. "So you like bossy women, do you?"

"Not like that," Elsie sputtered.

"Pity," Maeve continued to tease, feeling a warmth like she'd never felt. "Oh Elsie, I think I fell for you about the same time. You were clearly in a lot of pain, yet so brave with that delightful sarcasm and I felt my walls crack for the first time."

"Maeve? Are you saying…"

Maeve could have deflected by having Elsie say it first, but she didn't. "I'm saying, my little cheeky lover, that I love you."

Elsie opened her mouth to say something but to her horror, she just burst out crying instead.

"Oh Elsie, shit. I'm sorry," Maeve blurted, fearing she'd misread everything. "I didn't mean to scare you, or pressure you," she reached out to take Elsie's hand, hoping to comfort her. "I'm so sorry."

"No. Maeve, please don't be sorry," Elsie sniffed, gripping her hand. "I'm just…you really love me?"

Maeve saw the vulnerability in the sweet brown eyes and was once again reminded of how little experience this woman had with relationships and how much self-doubt she carried.

"Yes, my little Mouse. I am head over elbow in love with you."

"Oh Maeve, I'm in love with you too and I have been for so long, I can't remember not loving you."

Maeve had never wanted anything more than she wanted to kiss Elsie at that moment, but it wasn't time yet. She still had plans. Fortunately, the server appeared before she could ruin her carefully orchestrated plans.

The server placed an order of Focaccia bread and olive oil in front of them. Elsie noticed the waiter giving Maeve a grin and ignored the flutter of jealousy. She'd been out with Maeve numerous times and it was not uncommon for her to draw the attention of men wherever she went. Most of the time Elsie found it amusing, when Maeve slid an arm around her and brazenly told them she was already taken, leaving the poor men torn between disappointment and blatant curiosity.

"Hungry?"

Elsie blinked. They'd just said "I love you" for the first time, and Maeve was asking her if she was hungry?

"Uh…" she was about to answer no, when her stomach decided to answer for her, drawing a delighted laugh from Maeve.

"I'll take that as a yes," Maeve managed between giggles.

"I hate you," Elsie muttered, as she reached for the bread, unaware of the suddenly intense expression on Maeve's face.

She cut into the bread, frowning when the knife hit something. "What in the world?" She muttered. The bread was still hot, so she poked the knife in, trying to dig out whatever was inside, though not entirely sure she wanted to see it. Suddenly, with one final twist of the knife, something flew out of the bread, nearly hitting her in the eye before dropping onto her plate. She looked at the object, unable to fathom what she was seeing.

"What…"

Maeve suddenly felt a flicker of fear that she'd misjudged everything. "Yes?" She asked, with a faux innocence.

Elsie swallowed and carefully picked up the delicate ring, staring at it in wonder. It was an unusual ring; a black band with a modest blue stone, a sapphire, Elsie guessed and she had no idea what to say.

"Do you like it?" Maeve finally asked, her nervousness finally getting the better of her."

Elsie looked up at Maeve and saw the worried look on her face, which brought her back to herself. "Oh Maeve, it's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it."

"It's black gold," Maeve explained. "I've always seen you as a woman who liked unusual over traditional."

"That's true," Elsie agreed.

"If you don't like it I can…"

Elsie placed a hand over Maeve's instantly. "Maeve, I love it. It's beautiful and perfect. I just don't understand…"

Maeve sighed, turning her hand over so that she was holding Elsie's hand. She would admit, if only to herself, that she was decidedly out of her element. "Elsie, why does one person generally give another, a ring?"

Elsie's eyes shot wide. "Oh my God. Maeve? Is this…are you…?"

"Asking you to marry me? Indeed, I am," Maeve smiled, lifting the back of Elsie's hand to her lips.

"Oh, my God." Elsie gaped, her mind swimming with so many thoughts, she couldn't think straight.

Maeve felt her heart crack a little bit. She knew she had taken a bigger risk than she had ever taken in her life, even bigger than going to work in a brothel, and she knew there was a risk Elsie would say no, but she couldn't deny that it still hurt. However, she wouldn't put that guilt on Elsie.

"So, are you ready to order dinner, then?" Maeve asked, forcing a lightness into her voice that she wasn't feeling.

The tightness of Maeve's voice and the dullness of her smile, shook Elsie out of her stupor and before she could think twice, she was around the table and on her knee in front of Maeve.

"You didn't let me answer," Elsie rushed out, aware the people at the nearby tables were looking at her and not caring one damned bit.

"Elsie, what are you doing?" Maeve asked with a genuine laugh. "I believe I should be the one on my knee."

Elsie's hands went to the thighs, that were, to Elsie's pleasure, bare under the very short skirt and not adorned with pantyhose.

"Darling," she grinned, deliberately using Maeve's favorite form of endearment, "as much as I love this dress and the way you look in it, I'm pretty sure there's no way you'd be getting on your knee. At least not without giving the other tables a view that I prefer to keep for myself."

Maeve lifted an eyebrow at Elsie's actions, surprised yet amused by her playful forwardness. "Possessive, are we?"

"Absolutely," Elsie said seriously. "And the answer is yes."

"What?" Maeve's breath caught in her throat as Elsie's hands lifted to cup her face.

"I said yes. I would be honored, thrilled and even ecstatic to marry you," she grinned and then suddenly Maeve was kissing her.

Finally, Elsie pulled away. "Okay, I'm getting a cramp in my knee," she complained.

Maeve laughed, her heart so full of happiness she thought she might cry. "Please get up, love," she chuckled.

Elsie stood, less gracefully than she wanted, but the smile on Maeve's face made it worth it. She placed another kiss on the surgeon's lips before returning to her seat.

"So?" She prodded.

"So what?"

Elsie waved the fingers of her left hand under Maeve's nose. "I think you're forgetting something."

Maeve rolled her eyes playfully, then picked up the ring, sliding it on to Elsie's finger. She kissed the hand once more before looking into the sparkling brown eyes.

"I know this is probably more sudden than you would have expected, but we can take our time and plan and do whatever you want, whenever you're ready."

"And I do love you for that," Elsie said, relieved. She still needed time to wrap her mind around the fact that this incredibly sexy, brilliant and amazing woman wanted to marry plain old Elsie Hughes. "Though I do have one condition for this engagement," she said, putting on a serious expression.

"What would that be?"

"It's that you go shopping with me so I can find you a ring as well."

Maeve blinked. She hadn't expected that at all, but she had no desire to put a damper on Elsie's happiness.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," she smiled.

"Great, so…how about we go home and celebrate?"

Maeve laughed. "We haven't even had dinner yet," she protested.

Elsie was about to declare she had no interest in dinner, when her stomach spoke up for her, giving off a most unladylike rumble. She blushed furiously and Maeve laughed delightedly.

"Fine, we'll eat," Elsie said as primly as she could manage.

"And then afterwards, I will let you have anything you want for dessert," Maeve added with a seductive purr that had Elsie swallowing hard, knowing sweets was not what Maeve was referring to.

"Have I mentioned I love you?" she managed.

"You have, but feel free to repeat it as often as you'd like," Maeve returned, picking up her menu. "And I will tell you every single day for the rest of our lives, that I positively adore you, as well.

THE END


End file.
